Meet The Staff @ Brighton Marina 2015

We have a fantastic, experienced and enthusustic team lined up for this season for both centres in Brighton and Barcelona. As we are starting the season, we thought you may want to know a bit about everyone. Please, meet the core team………. Sebastian Rouse (Director) I spent most of my childhood on a boat, it has been said that I was strapped to the mast as a baby on family sailing holidays! I have lived aboard boats and worked overseas in various watersport centres. I joined Lagoon Watersports in Hove as it was starting off 20 years ago. Our passion for different watersports drove us to create all the different activities you see at the centres today. In 2002 I set up Lagoon Watersports in Brighton Marina and in 2013 I moved with my family to Sitges and set up Barcelona Watersports to compliment the UK centres. If I ever have any spare time I love traveling, cycling, windsurfing and spending time with my kids! Claire Warner (Office Manager) I have been sailing for around 15 years and from a young age I started racing dinghies competitively with my twin brother. Since then, I decided to start yacht sailing and enjoyed racing as part of a crew. I took a gap year from education and was lucky enough to help deliver a yacht to the Caribbean, on my return, I felt I wanted to stay within the industry which lead me to my job at Lagoon. I started work at Lagoon Watersports as a Dinghy Instructor and Office Admin back in 2011 and have progressed to Office Manager and help run the centre on a day to day basis. In my free time I enjoy yacht and dinghy racing and thrive on competition. I race on a J92s based in Shoreham and participate in large sailing regattas within the UK. My position onboard is navigator along with tactics and boat admin. Faith Dean (Admin/Marketing for Barcelona & Lagoon Watersports) From the green fields of Shropshire to the snowy Swiss Alps I’m now enjoying the blue skies and seas of Barcelona. The buzz of working for the Lagoon/Barcelona Team is brilliant! Prior to joining I worked in business administration and on Graphic and Interior Architectural projects. I am passionate about rugby union and with any spare time I will play on the water racing dinghies / keelboats or be practicing kite or windsurfing. I now live in Barcelona.   Joe Fry (Chief Powerboat Instructor) This is my fifth season working for Lagoon Watersports in Brighton and now also in Barcelona! I first started working at Lagoon part time whilst I was at college and became full time two years ago. I thoroughly enjoy working at Lagoon Watersports because we have a fantastic team in both Brighton and Barcelona which makes working on the water even more enjoyable. Being able to work in Barcelona in such a warm climate is a definite perk of the job! Outside of work, you’ll find me kitesurfing, cycling and anything else adventurous! Steve Hacking (Chief Instructor @ Gosport) I started sailing when I was 12, and was instantly hooked! After that, I took every opportunity to get out on the water. Racing and Cruising whenever possible. I have competed in a few of the UK’s most famous races. Also in the Caribbean and sailed the Atlantic. This passion continues, and for the past 7 years I have been lucky enough to turn my hobby into my work. I am now able to help others achieve their sailing ambitions. Having worked for several years as a Freelance Skipper, It’s great to be at Lagoon Watersports. The team work hard to provide a relaxed and fun atmosphere, while maintaining high standards of tuition and safety. Which for me makes it feel like home. When I’m not at work you might find me relaxing at home in the Normandy countryside or more likely charging around on my bicycle or when I get the time, I love to walk in the mountains. Anna Stang (Senior Instructor) I have been sailing for 19 years, from a young age I started racing dinghies competitively and I have been teaching for 9 years which has allowed me to travel the world doing seasons in Australia, Caribbean and Canaries as well as many different centres in the UK. I am now a senior dinghy and keelboat instructor, cruising instructor and powerboat instructor. My passion has always been in racing, competing at national level. As a chief instructor Lagoon Watersports has allowed me to teach in all aspects of watersports. Along the way I have met some amazing people and experienced staff which allows me to gain more qualifications –  I also get to work in Barcelona at our site in Port Vell. During the off season I have been able to travel the world most recently being SE Asia, I have also taken part in the transatlantic and crossed the Caribbean sea to Panama as a delivery skipper. I am returning to lagoon for my 5th season as a skipper in the amazing Fastnet Race in 2015. Other than sailing I have a degree in architecture and enjoy working outdoors particularly at my family farm in Wiltshire. This season I am excited about our new sporty keelboats and doing more advanced race based tuition in the Fastnet and at our sites in Barcelona and Brighton. I love the sport and meeting new people on a daily basis. You really never stop learning and no day is the same! Karl Fisher (Admin & Instructor)         I have been working for Lagoon Watersports for the last 5 years, initially in Brighton, and more recently I have been based out at the company’s Barcelona centre, however this summer I have returned to Brighton! My role will be 3 days a week working as office administrator, which will involve dealing with enquiries, facilitating the day to day running of the centre, co-ordinating staff, managing bookings for clients and updating the website. The other 2 days a week I will be working as instructor, teaching Yachtmaster sailing and motor cruising, keel boat sailing, advanced power-boating, sea survival and offshore safety, first aid, diesel engine maintenance and VHF marine radio. I am really excited about this summer, we have an excellent team here at the Brighton Marina centre, a brand new cruising yacht, new keel boats, and already bookings are coming in thick and fast; it is shaping up to be an awesome season! During my days off, you will see me out on the water, as I have a yacht down here at the marina, and intend to make the most of the spectacular sailing off Brighton, as well as trips to the Solent; so see you out on the water! When not out on the water you may catch me cycling around Brighton, in the gym on the cross-trainer, or possibly in the pub!